One of the challenges associated with working from home is something that many home-based professionals joke about with their friends who have traditional jobs outside of the home. People who do not work from home may joke with us about working in our pajamas or being able to catch a nap whenever we feel like it, but sometimes having your bed so close by can truly pose a challenge. While home-based professionals do enjoy the benefit of not having to rise early to commute to our workplace (unless we rise early to do our work) or come home late after being stuck in traffic for hours, we sometimes do end up sleeping less than our bodies need or our bodies decide that they would like more rest than they normally require. When this happens, proximity to the bed can be a threat to your carefully planned work schedule.
Perhaps it is the colder weather that we have had lately or the fact that I am about four months pregnant, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, for the past week or so I have been absolutely exhausted in the evenings and have been falling asleep while putting my almost two year old son to bed. Usually, the moment I know he is asleep; I slip out of bed, out the door of the bedroom, and into my work area for a few hours of productive work time. While I have been waking up about an hour to an hour and a half after falling asleep and dragging myself to the computer, there is no doubt that during the time that I have been snoozing I have lost some work time. Such is the dilemma of home-based professional who is feeling a little tired when work time rolls around – how do you avoid the allure of the cozy bed in the next room that threatens to lure the home-based professional into its warm and comfortable embrace?
Some people would go to the kitchen and fire up the coffeemaker for a nice, fresh cup of delicious and invigorating coffee. Alas the dilemma of the pregnant (and/or nursing) home-based professional – coffee is off the menu until my duties as baby carrier and baby food maker are complete. Coffee is a wonderful solution for those people who may drink it; it tastes wonderful and helps you to shake the sleepy feeling. There are other things that can be helpful too, though. Having an organized schedule with space to shuffle tasks around has been a lifesaver lately. When I arrive at my work station, instead of having to think about what I have to do, I simply glance at my planner. It says what I will be working on that day, and I can jump right in. When it really is time to go to bed, I can move the things that I did not finish to another day and time. If the tiredness trend continues, I may have to plan fewer work hours each day. For now, though, I will remain optimistic and make the best of the situation by not wasting a precious minute of my work time with Facebook, email, or other things that can sometimes creep in and steal work time when you feel like you have plenty of time do your work.
How do you avoid the temptation of your bed? I would love to hear your stories and your solutions.
Photo by clarita on morguefile.com.